This invention relates to the field of earth working implements and more specifically to that class of implements useful in the planting of seed beds for the production of grass sod.
The use of pregrown grass sod is well-known and is commonly used in landscaping when it is undesireable to plant and grow seed in the area where grass is desired. For such purposes, sod is grown in large agricultural areas referred to as sod farms wherein the grass sod is grown as a corp. After the sod is grown it is harvested by cutting below the soil level of the grass roots and rolling up the sod for transporting to and transplanting at the desired site.
Inasmuch as the sod is bound together solely by the root system of the grass itself, it is somewhat fragile and subject to breaking and tearing apart. In order to alleviate this problem, which can result in costly losses and unusable sections of sod, a plastic netting has been devised for use in strengthening the sod. Such netting is produced in a fenestrated pattern of about one inch squares and is laid under the topsoil in which the grass seed has been planted. As the grass root system grows, it is intimately intertwined in the netting whereby the netting lends support to the roots and hence the sod. When the sod is cut and harvested the netting remains in the cut soil layer to lend strength and stability to the sod.
While the use of such netting has been shown to be desirable, heretofore no satisfactory method of automatically laying and burying such netting in a seed bed had been developed, especially in a large commerical operation where several acres or hundreds of acres of sod is grown at a time.
Prior attempts have been directed to forcing the netting down into the topsoil through the use of rolling force or pressure from about. This technique has not proved successful in seating the netting at the appropriate level and establishing a satisfactory sod bed.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art techniques and provides an apparatus whereby netting can be installed under the seeded topsoil in an automatic fashion to a controllable depth without harming the seed bed itself. These and other advantages of the present invention will become obvious as the description proceeds.